Deputies fire 2 shots during eviction

LAGUNA HILLS – Deputies fired two shots inside a townhome Wednesday morning during a struggle to evict a man.

Officials used force to get inside the home Wednesday morning, and a deputy fired two shots when a man struggled with deputies in a bedroom, said Lt. Steve Doan, chief of police services for Laguna Hills.

The man was not wounded, authorities said, but he was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries.

"He was resisting their attempt to evict him," Doan said.

Deputies were dispatched at 8:41 a.m. to the 23300 block of Caminito Basilio to serve an eviction notice, according to sheriff's records.

Sheriff's officials were not able to get inside the home through the front door, so a locksmith was called, officials said.

"Deputies initially tried to get anybody in the house to voluntarily open the door, and make it a peaceful process from the get go," Doan said. "That didn't occur."

Doan would not specify how three deputies and a sergeant entered the home, located near the end of a cul-de-sac, but said deputies "used force" to get in.

As crime lab officials combed through the scene of the shooting, the front door of the townhome remained shut. A nearby window was shattered.

Once inside, deputies found that a bedroom door was also locked. The locksmith was asked to open the door, and deputies encountered a male resident inside, Doan said.

"He resisted the eviction efforts to the point where the deputies ended up firing their weapons in the house," Doan said.

The shooting was reported by deputies at 10:08 a.m., said Lt. Jim England.

Ajit Vyas, 42, who lives on the neighboring Caminito Juanico, said he heard two shots and saw the locksmith run out the front of the home.

The man was taken into custody after being treated at Saddleback Hospital.